Lin Yu'an and George imdiately pointed their binoculars in that direction.
Indeed, more than a kiloter away from them, there was a blurry white object.
It remained motionless, but its shape and size resembled a Dall sheep lying down to rest.
Old George adjusted his binoculars to the highest magnification, observed for a while, and shook his head, "Sothing's wrong. It's too still, and that posture... a bit stiff. Take another look."
His experience made him skeptical from the start. Dall sheep are very alert animals, and even when resting, they make small unconscious movents to sense their surroundings.
The three of them lay behind the cold rocks, staring intently at that white spot.
Ti ticked by, and the "target" remained like a white sculpture.
Stan's excitent had mostly faded, and even Lin Yu'an started to think it might just be a rock.
Then, a dramatic scene unfolded.
A cloud floated in front of the sun, causing the light and shadow on the hillside to shift.
When the sunlight pierced through the clouds again, illuminating the cliff, the angle of the light subtly changed.
"It moved! I saw its head move!" Stan almost shouted!
Lin Yu'an also imdiately looked over, and in that mont of light and shadow change, the shadow above the white spot did indeed montarily distort, looking very much like a sheep gently swaying its head!
The sun in the west was rapidly setting, and the shadows in the valley were visibly lengthening.
Stan said anxiously, "George, we're out of ti, we must take a chance!"
"Let's go! Let's get a closer look!" Old George accepted Stan's proposal.
By the ti they finally trudged closer, panting, it was nearly dusk.
Along the way, Stan frequently raised his binoculars. This ti, he only held them for a few seconds before lowering them, showing a face of utter disappointnt and self-mockery.
He cursed under his breath, "fu*k."
Lin Yu'an also raised his binoculars to see clearly, that "white spot" was not a Dall sheep at all.
It was just a large piece of white quartz rock, shaped very much like a sitting sheep, appearing vivid in the dim twilight.
Old George quietly packed away his rifle. Rather than appearing overly despondent, he breathed a long sigh of relief, with a wry smile of acceptance on his face.
He said to the other two, "Well, now we can sleep peacefully, at least we tried, right?"
This resilient old man was not crushed by failure; instead, he accepted reality in an admirable way.
The search on the third day ended in failure once again.
The group set up tents, had a simple dinner, and planned to wake up early for the final search the next day.
The ti ca for the fourth day, which was also the last planned day of their search. If no discovery was made, they would have to return.
In the morning chill, the atmosphere among the team was no longer heavy as the previous day; instead, there was a calm determination as if breaking the cauldrons and sinking the boats.
Old George was the first to step out of the tent. He didn't imdiately raise his binoculars as usual but spread out the ti-worn map on a flat rock.
"Co over, guys." He gathered Stan and Lin Yu'an.
He circled on the map with his finger, "These past few days we've been searching the high places, but we overlooked one thing, sheep are living creatures too."
"They need water, need to escape the midday sun, and to seek shelter like after the sudden storm the day before. High ground is safe, but it's not the only place they'd be."
His finger finally landed on a low valley caught between two ridges on the map, with a blue line of a stream snaking through the area.
"This stream runs through the valley. The willows and alders on either side are the best natural cover."
"If I were those cunning sheep, after experiencing the rain and wind from the day before, I certainly wouldn't stay chilling on a bare mountain top. I'd lead my flock down here to rest."
He looked up at the two of them, his eyes shimring with confidence, "Today, we change tactics; instead of climbing up, we go down to the valley. Try our luck one last ti!"
Stan looked at Old George, showing genuine admiration and a smile, "I knew you old fellow wouldn't give up easily."
They packed their gear and started heading towards the low valley.
As they entered the area filled with willow bushes, Lin Yu'an, who was in the front, suddenly stopped.
He said nothing, just crouched down, pointing at the edge of a clump of willows.
As the two approached, they saw Lin Yu'an pointing at a broken willow branch. The break was fresh, even showing moist marks, and it was about waist-high for an adult.
"Look at this mark, very shallow and neat. Deer use their lower jaw incisors and upper jaw pads to tear leaves, leaving rough marks."
"But sheep have molars on both jaws, they shear. This mark looks more like it was made by sheep."
"Nice analysis, kid!" Stan excitedly patted Lin Yu'an.
Old George also smiled, "Great! This proves we're in the right place! We'll follow the trail here! Even if it takes all day till dark, we're gonna find them!"
This ti, Old George took the lead in the tracking.
His experience proved crucial in close-range tracking, like an experienced old wolf, carefully evaluating any unusual signs on the ground.
They slowed their pace, advancing slowly, following any trace forward.
Finally, after maneuvering around a pile of massive rocks, their tracking efforts paid off!
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